If your basement is leaking, there are quite a few methods available for waterproofing it. Some are pretty involved and pricey, while others are quick and painless-for you and your wallet. One such method is concrete crack injection. Below you will find everything you need to know about this solution to your wet basement issues.

For poured concrete walls

Unfortunately, concrete crack injection will not work for all basements. The composition of your basement walls determines whether or not you can utilize this basement waterproofing method. If your walls are composed of cinder blocks, you are out of luck. Basement crack injection will only work for poured concrete walls. However, it’s necessary to mention that having poured concrete walls doesn’t necessarily qualify you for this repair method. Other factors may come into play.

How to determine if it will work for you

Since you aren’t a foundation repair specialist, you can only guess if concrete crack injection will work in your basement. But speculation is not enough when it comes to something as crucial as your foundation walls. The only way you can truly be sure which repair method will work for you is to call a licensed basement waterproofing contractor. They will come into your home and diagnose your basement wall problems for free. They’ll write up an estimate and tell you exactly what they can do to help. If you’re lucky, basement crack injection will work for you. In other cases, you may need a French drain system or some other repair method.

The process

It’s a simple process, really. First a technician will install ports every foot on the basement wall cracks. Then the cracks will get covered with a temporary surface bond. At this point, the technician injects the cracks with the Polyurethane solution. He will begin at the bottom and fill each crack until the solution reaches the top. The surface bond will hold the solution in the crack until it dries. Drying generally takes between 24 to 48 hours. Once the solution has been given plenty of time to dry, you can sand off the surface bond and finish off the walls.

Doing it yourself

In this tough economy, many homeowners are increasingly deciding to perform their own repairs to save money. In many situations, that’s perfectly okay. That said, some people look at the concrete crack injection process and think it looks easy. So they try to do it themselves. Don’t be fooled-there are plenty of things that can go wrong. You might not thoroughly fill the cracks. You may use an inadequate filler. Whatever the mistake, it will be one you can’t afford to make. Moisture in your basement isn’t something you want to play around with. If you don’t do the job properly, you’ll subject your basement to water penetration. So it’s best to let a professional come in and do it right the first time. It’s cheaper than you might think!

Remember, if you have a wet basement, you need to take care of it as quickly as possible. And you don’t want to take care of it by trying to fix it yourself. Call a professional and see if concrete crack injection will work for you.